Plata o plomo
Murders, a prison riot and a spiraling turf war in Veracruz
Welcome to The Mexpatriate.
Mexican news outlets today were mostly consumed by President Sheinbaum’s plan for a self-sufficient Pemex by 2027 (more on this soon) and the assassination of an official from the federal prosecutor’s office (FGR) in Reynosa on Monday. His SUV was attacked with a grenade, and according to eyewitness reports, he was then shot when trying to flee the vehicle.
In today’s newsletter, I cover another batch of stories simmering below the leading headlines: a recent surge of violence in Veracruz.
Tomorrow I’ll be back with a list of reading (and listening) recommendations.
Is Veracruz the next Sinaloa?
On the afternoon of Aug. 2, a violent riot erupted in a prison in the port city of Tuxpan, Veracruz. Inmates set fires in the buildings and took over the prison for 12 hours before authorities regained control. As of writing, the death toll is eight prisoners, and 10 others (including prison staff) were injured. In videos recorded during the riot, prisoners accuse a criminal group (“La Sombra” or “La Mafia Veracruzana”) of extorting inmates, with the collusion of staff. Antonio Huesca, former warden of the prison, was shot to death in his car in Tuxpan in June.
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The Tuxpan inmates also blamed the gang for ordering the murder of “la maestra,” referencing Irma Hernández Cruz, a retired teacher and taxi driver whose disturbing kidnapping and death darkened the national conversation last week.
Hernández was kidnapped by armed men in Álamo Temapache (about 30 kilometers from Tuxpan) on July 18. A few days after her abduction, the 62 year-old appeared in a video, kneeling, hands bound, with a group of armed men behind her. Hernández said that taxi drivers had to pay up or “end up like me” and warned “don’t mess with the Mafia Veracruzana.” Hernández’s body was found six days after she went missing.
Governor Rocío Nahle told reporters that Hernández’s official cause of death was a heart attack, precipitated by assault. After receiving harsh criticism for downplaying Hernández’s murder, Nahle dug in her heels in the semantic standoff, angry that “wretched people” would make it into a scandal: “The teacher was assaulted, as I said. After the assault, unfortunately, she suffered a heart attack. That’s the reality, like it or not.” Three arrests have been made so far in the Hernández case.
Another taxi driver was shot in Tuxpan last week, and the next day, a hitman attacked the man again in the hospital—miraculously, the victim survived, but his father was killed in the attack. On Monday, dismembered human remains were found on a highway near Papantla with a narcomanta attributed to La Mafia Veracruzana.
What is going on in Veracruz?
It seems the answer is both unsurprising and unsettling: a battle between rival criminal groups (with tentacles in various levels of government) is flaring up.
Veracruz ranked 19th nationwide in homicides per 100,000 in the first six months of the year, a far cry from hotspots like Sinaloa and Guanajuato. However, according to data from the disappearance monitoring network Red Lupa, the state has registered 6,529 disappearances through May (compared to 6,864 in all of 2024). Veracruz is also one of the states with the highest rates of extortion, making it a priority in the recently launched federal anti-extortion strategy.
A military intelligence source quoted in a report in Milenio explained how locals—particularly taxi drivers, who are targeted by trafficking groups not only for cash, but also for reconnaissance and deliveries—are caught in a vise:
“In cities like Tuxpan, for example, it has been detected that La Mafia Veracruzana charges extortion payments on Tuesdays and Los Piñas on Fridays. This double charge, on top of the cost of gas and repairs, makes it impossible for some taxi drivers to pay. At some point, they get on the wrong side of a group that interprets they’ve taken sides in the war, when they simply don’t have the money. This is probably what happened with the murdered teacher.”
La Mafia Veracruzana is an offshoot of the Gulf Cartel, described as heirs to Los Zetas, while Los Piñas are associated with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). Veracruz is valuable territory for organized crime: the slender Gulf Coast state has been a throughway for drug and cattle smuggling for years, and more recently, for migrants heading north.
The state is also infamous for cases of government corruption. Former governor Javier Duarte (PRI) whose term ended prematurely when he went on the run in 2016, will complete a nine-year prison sentence in 2026 for money laundering and racketeering. Duarte was also investigated on suspicion of enforced disappearances, but in 2024, the case was dismissed. During his term from 2010-2016, Veracruz saw a 158% increase in the homicide rate, and had a particularly chilling record of violence against journalists and local politicians.
As described by journalist Salvador Camarena in El País:
“Wherever there is a systematic failure of the State, extortion is enthroned as the perfect crime…in this country the threats of criminals are more credible than the promises of institutions.”
Going deeper: “In the Mouth of the Wolf” by Katherine Corcoran is a worthwhile and eye-opening read about the murder of journalist Regina Martínez in Veracruz in 2012.
Questions, criticism or tips? Email me: hola@themexpatriate.com. And if you enjoyed this newsletter, please share it.
Excellent reporting!
Very sad to hear this. When we were still driving from QRoo to CA (no mas) Veracruz always scared me as there are a lot of stops and it’s such a long state. Sad about Tuxpan. That was always our first night after crossing at the TX border. We stayed at a pet friendly hotel right across from the river. I’d written an article a couple years ago about Marina and other assassinated MX journalists. When the reporters assoc was relooking at her death. So sad.